


Cake for Bernadetta

by SophieAiba



Series: For Bernadetta [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/F, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Black Eagles Route, Fluff, Pre-Time Skip, some racism expressed towards Petra by a jerk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-30
Updated: 2019-09-30
Packaged: 2020-11-08 04:03:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20829098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SophieAiba/pseuds/SophieAiba
Summary: Bernadetta is flustered when Petra stands up for her. But can Bernadetta learn to stand up for herself?





	Cake for Bernadetta

Why was all this happening to her?

Bernadetta had just been trying to grab a quick meal and slip back into her room without anyone noticing her. It should have been simple enough. She did it every day. But today, she had somehow managed to pick the exact time that the Knights of Seiros had come back from their latest missions, and they were holding a celebratory feast. It seemed like every single person in the monastery was here. There was no way for her to get back to her room without going through them. 

She had to calm down. It was fine. She was fine. It was not fine, there were so many people, she just wanted to be back in her room and not have to deal with all this anymore. But there was nothing she could do about it. It didn't look like the crowd was going to clear anytime soon, and she certainly wasn't going to spend all day outside her room, around all these strange people. She would just have to push through and find her way back. 

Bernadetta, moving to one of the walls where there wasn’t such a crush of people, tried to scout out the best possible avenue of escape. She usually went through the garden, but through the windows, she could see the path between the dining hall and the garden was absolutely packed with people, and from what glimpses she could get of the garden itself it looked no better. The dock, on the other hand...well, it was also packed with people, but they were more spread out at least. If she could just get out of the dining hall, she could weave her way through them and get back to her room safe and sound. Easy. No problem at all. All she had to do was make her way through this great sea of strangers without getting hit or stepped on or yelled at or stabbed by a wayward fish skewer.

She gulped. “All right, Bernie. You can do this.”

Nobody paid any mind to Bernadetta’s quiet “excuse me”s as she made her way through the teeming mass. But that just meant they were paying attention to her at all, which suited her just fine, and she was able to find enough gaps to slip through anyway. After what felt like an hour or ten, Bernadetta spotted daylight up ahead, the sun streaming through the open door that led to the dock and to freedom. She was really going to make it! Bernadetta picked up the pace. It had looked like today was going to be a disaster, but she had managed things, and she would be able to go back to her room with her head held high.

It was then that she spotted it. Sitting on a table on the other side of the dining has, across the ocean of people, was a cake. Its frosting was a beautiful ivory, with delicate pink flowers decorating its surface. People had already started to cut into it, exposing the golden cake within. Even from here Bernadetta could tell how rich, moist and decadent it was. So enamored was she of it that she did not notice a student taking a step back, right into her path. Bernadetta could not get out of the way in time, and bumped into him.

"Hey!" the student said, turning around. Bernadetta did not recognize him, but he was tall and angry-looking, and the remains of a piece of cake were splattered all over the front of his uniform.

"Oh no," said Bernadetta under her breath. 

"Look what you've done!" said the student, folding his arms.

"I'm sorry!" cried Bernadetta. "Oh! Um...your sleeves"

"What..." the student unfolded his arms, stared at the frosting now dripping from his sleeves, and then glared at Bernadetta. "Now look what you've done! This uniform is completely ruined! What do you intend to do about this, hmm?"

"I...I...I..." Bernadetta wanted so badly to simply run away. But in the time she had been speaking to this student, the way out to the docks had filled up with more people. Her path out was blocked off. 

"What's the matter with you? Are you stupid or something?" said the student. Bernadetta shook. She hoped she might vibrate so hard she would just fall to pieces. At least then she would be free of this conversation.

Bernadetta didn’t realize she had been slowly backing up until she bumped into someone behind her. She shrieked and spun around. “I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry--”

“Hello, Bernadetta” Petra stood before her, smiling radiantly, as if nothing at all was the matter. “It is nice to see you out like this.”

Oh no. Bernadetta didn’t want Petra to see her in this state. She was always just so elegant, so poised, and here Bernadetta was making a fool of herself in front of her.

“Excuse me!” said the frosting-stained student. “But this girl still had not made up for staining my uniform.”

Petra looked at the boy for the first time. Bernadetta thought she could see a slight nervous twitch in his mouth as Petra looked him over.

“But I thought that I was hearing Bernadetta saying sorry to you,” said Petra. “In fact, that was why I was coming over here in the first place”

Frosting boy waved his hand dismissively. “Do you really think an apology is good enough?”

“But…” said Petra, bringing a finger to her chin thoughtfully, “I am not understanding what else you are expecting her to do?”

Frosting boy looked so angry at this that Bernadetta thought he might draw a weapon and attack the two of them. Well, it didn’t look like he had a weapon, but for all she knew he was hiding a dagger somewhere on his person.

“I’ll do whatever you want!” cried Bernadetta. “I’ll wash your uniform! I’ll give you my uniform! I’ll leave Garreg Mach forever! I’ll--”

Petra put a gentle hand on her shoulder. “As you can hear,” said Petra to frosting boy, “Bernadetta is being very sorry. Don’t you think it would be best to give her forgiveness?”

“Forgive her? This _harlot_ ruins my uniform, and you want me to--”

“Excuse me,” says Petra. “I am being sorry, but...what is a ‘harlot’?”

Frosting boy, face twisting more and more angrily, started to speak, but he paused. Bernadetta could only just see Petra’s gaze, but even from what she could see Petra’s eyes were so intense that Bernadetta thought she would shatter to pieces.

“I think,” said Petra, slowly and deliberately, “that it would be best if you gave forgiveness to Bernadetta.”

The frosting-stained student turned his face away from her gaze. “Fine, forget it, whatever,” he said. “I’ll deal with this myself.”

Petra watched him leave, and then turned to Bernadetta. "Are you all right?" she asked.

"Y-yes," said Bernadetta. She could feel her face turning hot. Petra’s gaze had softened considerably now that she was looking at Bernadetta rather than the other student, but...she was still looking at Bernadetta. "Thanks, Petra. I-I'm sorry you had to go out of your way just for me."

"It is not a problem," said Petra. She looked at Bernadetta intently. Bernadetta was sure she was beet red by now. "But you know," said Petra, "you should not be letting him say all those things to you. "

"Oh, b-but it was my fault--"

"Maybe so, but that is not meaning he can speak to you in that way."

"No, no, it's OK" said Bernadetta, feeling like she was about to vibrate right out of her skin. "I'm...I'm used to it."

"You're _used_ to it?" said Petra, eyebrows arching up. "But--"

"It's really all right!" said Bernadetta, a little louder than she meant to. People were starting to turn to look. "Please don't worry about me! Please just forget about me!"

She turned and, ignoring Petra calling her, bolted out the door. 

Back in her room, Bernadetta lay on her bed, her face buried in her pillow. What an exhausting, miserable experience. The thing with frosting boy getting angry at her had been bad enough, but worse was what had happened with Petra. Petra had just been trying to be nice to her, and look what Bernie had done. Petra surely hated her now. Maybe it would be better to just stay in her room until she rotted so she wouldn’t bother anyone ever again.

KNOCK KNOCK

Bernadetta’s yelp was muffled by the pillow. She looked up in alarm. Someone was at her door. Someone was at her door expecting her to go out and...talk to them, now of all times. Was it the professor or Edelgard, trying to drag her off to training or class? Was it Caspar, come to carry her off goddess knows where again? Was it Hubert...being Hubert?

“Bernadetta?”

Oh no. It was the worst thing of all: Petra, here to yell at Bernadetta, or punch her, or...or…

“I am sorry, Bernadetta. I was not meaning to make you upset.”

A trick! Why would Petra be apologizing to Bernadetta, when it was Bernadetta’s fault? She buried her face in the pillow again. No matter what, she was going to stay put.

“I brought you some cake from the dining hall.”

Oh no. Petra was truly a dangerous opponent, a huntress who knew well how to bait her traps. If Petra had brought her a piece, maaaaybe she could just poker her head out for just--no, she had to stay strong. If she fell into Petra’s snare, she may never be able to eat cake again.

“I will just leave it here. I am sorry once again.”

Bernadetta looked up, surprised. She quietly slipped out of bed, tiptoed to the door, and listened. Sure enough, she could hear footsteps moving away from her room. This...could still be a trap. On the other hand, if Petra really had left the cake in front of her door, Bernadetta needed to get to it before the ants and birds did. 

Bernadetta waited a few moments longer, just to be safe, and then slowly inched the door open. 

There on the ground, in front of her door, was a little parcel wrapped up in a red and white checked handkerchief. The handkerchief was tied into a tidy know at the top, and stuck into the know was a flower. Bernadetta picked it up and brought it inside quickly, before anyone could see her. 

She sat down on the bed and poked at the handkerchief gingerly. The bottom of whatever was inside, where she was holding it, was hard and flat, like a plate would be, and the top was soft, like a piece of cake. Maybe it was a piece of cake after all, and not...something bad, she didn't know what. Bernadetta slowly opened the handkerchief. Inside was indeed a large piece of the almond cream cake. Petra had even included a fork.

As she ate, Bernadetta thought about Petra, unhappily. Petra had tried to do something nice for her AGAIN and Bernadetta had been nothing but rude back AGAIN. Now Petra probably really really hate her. But this time Bernadetta was going to at least apologize to her. Even if it didn’t make Petra hate her any less, she still wanted Petra to know that she was sorry for how she had acted.  
Bernadetta stood up. All right, time to go say sorry. Tomorrow. She flopped back down on the bed. Tomorrow was the time to say she was sorry. Today she was just too exhausted. Besides, if she waited she would have more time to think of a good apology. 

Bernadetta sat in the garden, sighing into a cup of tea. It was late afternoon the next day, and everyone else was in the dining hall for dinner. Bernadetta was hungry, but she could not bear to go. She still had not apologized to Petra. She had started to approach Petra several times throughout the day, but each time her throat had choked up, her stomach had knotted, and she had run off before Petra spotted her. Or at least, she HOPED before Petra had spotted her. Petra was keen-eyed, after all. What if she had seen Bernadetta, and though Bernadetta was spying on her, on top of everything else? This was getting worse and worse.

Bernadetta took a deep breath. She had to put a stop to all this. She had to apologize, and be over and done with the whole thing. Petra would hate her, but at least she go back to her room and hide for the rest of her life.

She pumped her fists. “You can do this, Bernie,” she said. 

“She’s so stupid,” 

Bernadetta nearly jumped out of her skin. Someone else was nearby! She didn’t think anyone else would be out here right now. She quickly found a hedge to hide behind, just frosting boy and another student recognize came around the corner. 

“It’s just unbelievable how stupid she is,” said frosting boy.

Bernadetta’s relief that she had been seen turned to worry. Were they talking about her? They were probably talking about her. Who else in Garreg Mach could be called stupid? And if they were out all alone, talking about her, that meant they were planning to do something to her. Something horrible! 

“I don’t see why she can’t learn to speak our language,” said frosting boy.

That confused Bernadetta for a moment. But she supposed she didn’t speak to others very much, and when she did she tended to stutter and mumble. Did the horrible thing they were going to do to her have something to do with the way she talked? Were they going to cut out her tongue?! Were they going to--

“She should just go back home to Brigid”

Bernadetta blinked. They were talking about Petra? But...that didn’t make sense. Why would they talk bad about Petra? Petra was not stupid. She was smart, and kind--even though she had scared Bernadetta that one time--and she worked hard, and…

The two students kept on saying horrible things about Petra. Bernadetta felt like she should do something. But what? She couldn’t go talk to them. But Petra had stood up for her. She...she should be able to stand up of Petra, too.

“Next time we see her,” said frosting boy, “we should--”

“You...YOU LEAVE PETRA ALONE!” shouted Bernadetta, bursting out of her hiding place before she really knew what she was doing. The two students jumped back in alarm. “SHE’S NOT STUPID JUST BECAUSE SHE DOESN’T SPEAK OUR LANGUAGE PERFECTLY! HOW WELL DO YOU SPEAK BRIGID, HUH?”

The students stared at Bernadetta with gaping mouths, saying nothing. Bernadetta wanted nothing more than to run away, or maybe curl up into a ball right there and die. But somehow she kept going. “SHE’S A HUNDRED TIMES BETTER THAN YOU! A THOUSAND TIMES! MAYBE YOU’RE THE ONES WHO OUGHT TO GO HOME!”

The first student started to say something to her, but his companion put a hand on his arm. “Let’s just go, man” said said. Looking around nervously. “People are starting to come out of the dining hall and look” 

The first student shot one last glare at Bernadetta, and then the two of them ran off. 

Back in her room, Bernadetta turned everything that had just happened over in her mind. That student was DEFINITELY going to have it out for her, now. It wasn’t just her being paranoid. But somehow, she didn’t mind. Well, that wasn’t true. Bernadetta definitely didn’t want to die or anything like that. But she still didn’t regret what she had done. 

KNOCK KNOCK

Bernadetta jumped. She didn’t regret it, but she was hoping she wouldn’t die this soon at least!

“Bernadetta?” asked Petra. “Can we talk? I have brought more cake”

“Petra!” said Bernadetta before she could think. Well, she definitely couldn’t pretend she wasn’t in her room now. “I-I’ll come out,” she said.

Bernadetta opened the door. Petra beamed at her and thrust another handkerchief wrapped parcel towards her. “They made almond cream again.”

“Th-thank you,” said Bernadetta. “Um...I just wanted to say I’m sorry for before. You were just trying to help me, and I yelled at you. I understand if you’re angry…”

“I am not being angry,” said Petra. She pointed at the cake. “I would not have brought that if I were being angry, right?”

“I guess not…” said Bernadetta.

“Actually,” said Petra. “I was wishing to speak with you, Bernadetta,” she said. “Shall we go over to the garden and be sitting?”

“S-sure.”

A full moon shone down on them as Bernadetta and Petra sat in the garden. Bernadetta poked at her cake nervously. 

“I wish to thank you, Bernadetta,” said Petra.

“Th-thank me?” asked Bernadetta. “For what?”

“For what you said to those people,” said Petra. 

“What I said?” asked Bernadetta. “You mean...wait, you heard that?!”

“Yes,” said Petra. “Most of us in the dining hall were hearing it. You were...very loud.”

Bernadetta groaned and buried her face in her arms. “Oh no, no, no,” she said.

“What’s wrong?” asked Petra. “They didn’t hurt you, did they?”

“No, nothing like that,” said Bernadetta. “I’m just stupid. Stupid Bernie! Stupid!”

“You are not stupid,” said Petra. “Why are you saying that?”

“Because...because everyone heard me. And now everyone knows I...I exist. And that I yell”

"But, you were yelling to protect me, yes?" said Petra.

Bernadetta lifted her head up just a little bit to look at Petra. "I...I suppose so?" she said

Petra beamed at her. "When I heard you saying those things, I was very happy. I was thinking 'even though Bernadetta is afraid of people, and is especially afraid of getting into arguments with people, still she is standing up for me.'" She glanced away. Bernadetta couldn’t see her that well in the moonlight, but for a moment she thought Petra was...blushing? No, that couldn’t be right. "I was not realizing you would do something like that for me"

"Well...I...uh...of--of course" said Bernadetta

“But, Bernadetta…” Petra looked back at her, brow furrowed. “I do not know how to put this. It made me very happy that Bernadetta stood up for me. But it makes me sad that Bernadetta won’t stand up for Bernadetta.”

“Wha--oh, but that’s completely different,” said Bernadetta “That thing at the party really was my fault, but they were being mean to you for no reason. Besides, you’re so great, always so kind and brave and--” she started to say “beautiful,” but the word stuck in her through. “And I’m just Bernadetta.”

“You are Bernadetta, my very dear and wonderful friend,” said Petra. She put her hand on top of Bernadetta's, and Bernadetta felt like she had been struck by lightning. “So please, try not to be saying cruel things about yourself.”

"S-s-s-s-s-s-sure" Bernadetta managed to stammer out, looking away so that Petra could not see her blush.

“I am not understanding everything about you, Bernadetta, but I am thinking it is difficult for you not to think harshly of yourself, yes?” said Petra. “Just know that I am always believing in you, and I am always on your side”

“Thank you, Petra,” said Bernadetta, glancing back at her. “I...I am always on your side, too. I mean, not that you need me for anything. I’m no good--” she spotted Petra beginning to frown “--that is, I don’t know how much help I can really be to you. But if there is ever anything I can do...” 

“I will be sure to rely on you,” said Petra. She took Bernadetta’s hand in both of hers, and gave it a warm squeeze. The warmth traveled up her arm and into her head, where it set off an explosion in her mind. She could only just make out Petra’s worried “Bernadetta?” before she passed out

Bernadetta woke up in her room, feeling oddly refreshed. What was it that was making her feel so good? Oh, that’s right! Bernadetta had had such a pleasant dream. Sitting in the garden with Petra, who was being so kind to her, and looked so beautiful, the moonlight illuminating her face. And the gentle smell of the almond cream cake wafting through the air…  
Come to think of it, there was still gentle smell of almond cream cake wafting through the air. Bernadetta looked around, until she spotted the partially eaten remnants of a slice of cake on her nightstand, next to a note. She opened it.

_Bernadetta_

_I hope you are all right. You fainted last night. Professor Manuela said that there was nothing wrong with you, so we brought you back to your room. I am knowing the cake will not be as good as it was last night, but I am hoping it is not too bad. See you tomorrow._

_\-- Petra_

_PS: I am glad that we are on each other’s side now._

Even her handwriting was elegant and beautiful. 

Bernadetta took a bite of the cake. It had gone rather dry and stale since last night, but somehow it was the sweetest thing she had ever tasted.


End file.
